Tuesday, April 29, 2008

There is a saying that goes like this...."Your Face Is YourFortune", which is quite true to a certain degree for those born with attractive features and a beautiful figure. A beautiful woman or an attractive man will always have the best chances in everything they seek for.

So if you think you are young, pretty or handsome enough or knows anyone who had the looks that turn heads, come and join this online beauty contest at http://www.lookoftheyear.com by sending in your best photos to Look ofThe Year and you might get a chance to win a fortune of 10,000 USD or you might get spotted by a modeling agency who might put you on the world stage rubbing shoulders with all those famous models in Paris, New York or Milan.

My mee sua neatly rolled up in small batches to be dry under hot sun........

Recently, while browsing through Lilian's blog on Penang Foodabout the Hock Chiew Ang Chiew Mee Sua (mee sua in red wine).....it reminds me of my intention of posting up some pictures of how the traditional way of handmade mee sua are produced back in my hometown.

Mee Sua is a type of thin salted chinese noodles made from wheat flour which is made by a special method and skills in pulling the noodles to a very thin threadlike strands and then it is dry out in the hot sun. Mee Sua can be cook in many ways according to the different chinese ethnic cultures and you can see mee sua dishes at important chinese festivals and birthdays because to the Chinese it signifies long life...(the strands will be as long as 2 to 3 meters in length)..here are some pics of the production of the mee sua in my hometown....courtesy of a friend.

First the wet dough or paste made from a mixture of wheat flour, water and salt are rolled circularly in a pail.

Then, the rolled strands of dough were woven in between two bamboo sticks in a bow pattern.

It is then left to ferment hanging in a special box for a few hours.....

The sticks of fermented mee sua are then push into holes in specially made poles in an open space outside the house.

The noodles are then pulled skilfuly to a long thin strands without breaking them.....and then push into holes on the other end of the poles to be left to dry under the sun......

The sun dried mee sua are then folded up and are ready to be sold in rolls or for distribution to sundry shops. The ones we bought from sundry shops are not really very dry and it had to be dry out in the hot sun again if the mee sua is to be kept in tins for a period of time (2 to 3 months)or else a damp mee sua will not keep for long.

There are some mee suas in shops which are made by machines and oven dried which do not really tastes as soft and as nice as the handmade ones. There are two versions of these handmade mee sua.....one is thinner and the other is the thicker version which is taken from the lower part of the pulled mee sua and the price is much cheaper too.

I have a recipe of this lovely mee sua cook in 'ang chiew' (rice wine) in my blog here.

Monday, April 28, 2008

I saw this interesting test ....that test your blogging personality fromDora'sblog and I decided to do the test and this is what I got........

Your Blogging Type is Logical and Principled

You like to voice your well thought out opinions on your blog.And if someone doesn't like what you write, you really don't care!Serious and blunt, sometimes people take your blog the wrong way.But you're a true and loyal friend to those who truly get you.

Recently Son H had to plan out a menu for 20 pax using very limited amount of money for a project in college......and he ask me what he could prepare for dessert that do not take up a lot of time besides saving cost for his other dishes like starter and main course.....so this is what he made after surveying my ideas.......Sago Pudding with Gula Melaka (Palm Sugar).....

Ingredients:

(For Palm sugar syrup)

250 gm gula melaka

30 g sugar - (optional) if you like yr syrup sweeter.

250 ml water

2 to 3 screwpine (pandan) leaves

Method:

Place all the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil over low heat til sugar is dissolved. Strain and leave to cool in fridge.......

Chopped gula melaka...................

Cooking the palm syrup in a saucepan..............

Coconut milk - squeeze from 1 coconut with 300 ml water added or from ready packet ones.....(bring to just boil with a pinch of salt added and refrigerate before using)

200 gm Sago pearls

1 no.Egg white

A pinch of salt

Method:

Wash sago and drain. Put to boil in a pan of hot boiling water. Stir and cook til sago is transparent (about 10 mins). Pour into a large fine sieve and wash under running cold filter tap water to get rid of excess starch. Then stand sieve over a bowl to drain water off completely. Meanwhile whisk the egg white with the salt til stiff and fold into sago til well mix. Spoon the mixture into small tart moulds and leave in the fridge to chill. Can prepare the palm syrup before hand or after this. Serving is done individually by topping the sago pudding with palm syrup and coconut milk according to taste.

Cooked and drained sago............................

Whisking the egg white til stiff...................

Folding the egg whites into sago.................

Son H placing the sago pudding into moulds before chilling in fridge......

Chilled sago pudding ....pop out of moulds into a plate before serving with palm syrup and coconut milk.........

Sunday, April 27, 2008

The doorlock at Son H's room had some problems for quite sometime already..... and nobody including myself seems to care.....because most of the time after some tricks in twisting the keys......it will open as usual. Then yesterday, when Son H was going to enter his room after his midnight football program....the door would not open after many tries at twisting the keys......So everyone including myself and the maid took turns trying to be a picklock thief (seems so easy in the movies eh?) but to no avail after almost 2 long hours past midnight....with a broken hammer head to boot....not to say the tempers flaring among us and the sweats and anxieties to get this door to open.....

So my last resort was to tell my sons to kick the damn door open with whatever they had..........Son R tried with his heavy build body strength but no result and son H...the lanky one to my surprise gave one big kick with his long thin legs and the door flung open to my delight......look at these pics I took this morning.....

With all these tools on hand....still could not be a pickdoor thief and the result we got is a broken hammer head after 2 hours of prying.......!

The damaged door.....after kicking it open......guess we had to change a new door.......and a better lock after this.....

Hope to get a doorlock like this.........

or a round one like this.................

or even better if I can afford this..................

So we had learnt our lessons here....always get your doorlock repaired before you were lock out of your room for good......in the middle of the night.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

This Chinese style of cucur udang.....or prawn fritters has been around for as long as I can remember. As a child I remember my mum used to cook this dish with prawns, sometimes adding some beansprouts and fried it thinly in a ladle that makes a good snack dip into chilli sauce........

Since prawns are very expensive nowadays ....we can use the smaller shrimps which is so much cheaper to make this dish....small children as well as adults would love to dip it in their favourite sauce.........here is a simple recipe of my prawn fritters........

Ingredients:

200 gms small prawns- peeled and minced

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

20 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 large onions- minced

1 freshchilli- finely sliced (optional)

1 egg

350 ml water

oil for deep-frying

Method:

Season the minced prawns with salt, pepper, salt and oyster sauce....and leave aside for 5 to 10 mins or in fridge. Then add in flour, baking powder, onions, and sliced or choppedchillis and stir well adding in the water bit by bit til the batter is well mix and soft. If it is a bit dry add in more water to mix to the right consistency. (If using bigger egg, lessen the water). Set aside the batter for 10 to 15 mins for it to rise. Deep-fry in hot oil, by putting spoonful of the batter into oil. Take care not to burn the fritters by controlling the heat from medium to low once the oil is heated up. Drained on kitchen towel and serve it with rice or as snacks with sambal belacan, chilli sauce or mayonaise................

Friday, April 25, 2008

After waiting for a few months .....i just recently got the keys to my new condo which i love very much because of the lovely view of the sea overlooking the Penang bridge. Besides that it also has a big swimming pool, which i had always dream of having at my doorsteps ever since I was a child. So with the keys on my hand, I gladly drove to this newplace as often as possible to swim til my heart's content......massaging myself in the 2 big jaccuzi to relax my tired muscles or to steam myself up in one of the sauna rooms. Here are some pics of my new place..........

The view of the pool from my place......................

Fell in love with this lovely pool...............

There is a tennis court, a bicycle track and a big basketball court (hidden on the right) above the multi level car park for your outdoor activities besides a gym room with the latest machines near the pool.

At present I will be looking out for ideas on how to makeover my new place which is unfurnished at the moment.....things are getting pretty expensive nowadays....and had to look out for cheap bargains too.....the other day i found out that the aluminium grill that i wanted to put up in my front porch cost a whopping 4 k.......any ideas where to get good bargains around this place..?

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Few days ago, my lovely niece...ris....celebrated her birthday without me....she was somewhere else indulging herself in more food.......and I waited for her to return to present her this lovely gift ...which i know will make her happy because it is related to one of her indulgence dear to her heart....."Ice- Cream".....never misses a date every 31st of the month for her favourite Baskin Robbins on offer.......

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

I am sure some of us have not heard of this traditional method of hair removal using a strand of cotton thread. This method is said to originate from India and is much practice in the middle eastern countries and is also gaining popularity in the West. The way it works is by twisting a double stranded cotton thread around the hairs on the outer surface of the skin. Once the hairs are skilfully woven into the thread, they are then pull out.

I had my first experience of this method of hair removal to my eyebrows two days ago at a beauty shop in Penang Street. It was really wonderful the way my eyebrows were shape to a neatarch without much discomfort. I felt a slight pain but it was fast and quick. So much better than using a tweezer which takes up a long time. The Indian beautician took less than 10 minutes to shape my eyebrows and she charged me for only rm 5. The advantages of eyebrow threading is the fact that it last longer than other methods of hair removal, usually 3 to 4 weeks and also through this method you can easily get the precise shape that you wanted. Here are some pics i took while my niece and I had our eyebrows touch up.

Last week, I cooked a pot of chicken curry using kaffir lime leaves or otherwise known as daun limau perut. These leaves, with the combination of other fresh ingredients like lemon grass, shallots, garlic, fresh chillis, galangal (lengkuas), tumeric, and the sourness of tamarind juice gives this curry an unmistakable taste and fragrance thats make it so special and wanting more of it after the first helping.........like to share it here....

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken -cut into big pieces

15 nos shallots

2 stalks lemon grass (serai)

3 cloves garlic

6 nos fresh chillis

6 nos dried chillis

3 cm fresh tumeric (kunyit)

Blend together all the ingredients above except the chicken.........

5cm knob of galangal -sliced and bruised.

200 ml thick coconut milk- squeeze from 1 coconut

300 ml diluted coconut milk- second straining.

4 tablespoon oil

1 tbsp tamarind mixed with 4 tbsp water - drained for juice.

6 to 8 leaves kaffir lime leaves

salt to taste

Kaffir Lime leaves...........................

Method:

Heat oil in pan.....add blended ingredients and stir-fry til fragrant and oil appears .......then add in chicken pieces to fry for about 5 minutes to blend with the spices and add a few tablespoon of coconut milk or water to prevent the mixture from burnt and til the chicken meat change colour....next add in the remaining thin coconut milk, tamarind juice, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and cook on low medium heat for about 20 mins on a simmer. When the meat is tender add in the thick coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring to a soft boil, mix well and then it is ready to be served with hot rice and bread.

My niece Iris,....having a good time with the curries and bread.......

For a healthier curry I substitute the coconut milk with low fat milk and fresh plainyoghurt.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Few days ago..... son H made for his dearest mummy the best spaghetti bolognaise she had ever tasted. Thank you, son.....I am indeed very blessed for you to cook for me such a nice dish. In fact this is better than what I usually cook for him.....so I ask him the hows and whats of making this dish....and here are his answers...

First heat the butter and olive oil in pan...then put in the chopped onions, to cook til soft and then add in carrots and celery, mushrooms, to fry for a minute with a sprinkling of mix herbs...then add in the ground beef. Fry the beef til it change colour .... next add in a can of stewed tomato mixture together with the freshly chopped tomatoes.....bringto a slow simmer with a little water (1/2 cup) to get a wet sauce....and cook for 10 to 15 minutes til the veges are soft and meat tender.....lastly add in some salt to taste.

Then it is ready to be mixed with freshly boiled spaghetti....sprinkle with some black pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese on top before serving. The above amount can make approximately 3 servings.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

My easy peasy pot of hot and spicy curry fish..............Once in a blue moon you will be attack by the 'lazy bug'........so what happens when all your energy were spent on other things and your stomach was groaning for something hot and spicy like a curry dish........and you cannot imagine yourself spending hours in the kitchen slicing, chopping, and blending for a pot of your favorite curry.

But I had found a quick and easy way to satisfy my craving for this spicy dish.......and thanks to these wonderful ready packed sauces you find easily on the supermarket shelves that will make your life worth living. So I never fail to grab some of these sauces when I did my grocery shopping. Here is a fish curry dish I cook today using this packet of fish curry sauce....my favorite brand which i find is the best among the others...tastewise.

I only need to cut up some ladysfinger, 2 nos. tomatoes and some curry leaves from my garden to be added in with the fish to the sauces.....and all it takes is putting everything into the pot including the fish... about 300 gms into a pot and boiled on low medium heat for 10 to 15 mins depending on the type of fish you use.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Many a times, while on the way to Kuala Lumpur, I had to pass through this stretch of highway with all the beauty of its limestone hills and deep valleys that never fails to amaze me................it is located somewhere near Ipoh and after a few kilometers from the Gopeng toll interchange....................

Friday, April 18, 2008

Wonder how many of you had a liking for this spicy dish cook with petai also known as stink beans. Those who had acquired the taste for these beans which has a pervasive strong smell, will find it heavenly. Petai is also called stink beans because it contains certain amino acids that emits a strong pungent smell that will lingers in the mouth and urine for up to 2 days after consumption. So it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

I recently bought 2 small packets of stink beans from a hypermarket and could not resist cooking this with prawn sambal which I am the only one at home who had an acquired taste for this stinky beans. I love to share it with my readers over here....

Ingredients:

150 gm stink beans (petai)

250 gm medium sized prawns

1 stalk lemon grass (serai)

2 slices of galangal (lengkuas)

4 nos fresh chillis

3 cm fresh tumeric (kunyit)

5 shallots -sliced

2 cloves garlic -sliced

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp dried prawn paste (belacan)

1 tbsp tamarind pulp(asam jawa)- dissolve in 150ml water and strained

salt to taste

Method:

Peel prawns, clean and set aside. Put lemongrass, galangal, shallots, garlic, chillis, tumeric and belacan in a blender and blend together til fine. Heat oil in pan and stirfry the blended chilli paste on low heat til fragrant. Then add in prawns . Fry for a minute with the paste and add in stink beans. Stir for a minute and add in the strained tamarind juice. Cook til gravy is thick but not dry. Add salt to taste. Serve hot with rice.

Stink beans that had to be removed from the clusters of pods.

The petai which looks like broad beans......taken out from pods.

For those on dates it is better not to take this dish hours before dating or else you would frighten away your boyfriends or girlfriends with this pungent odour left on your mouth and body...........

Here is a video clip featuring cats with their antics, penquins doing a dance sequence with their happy feet, a bear in action, and a very special skateboarding dog named Tyson showing his skills on the skating board. These animals are so funny and...Ooh... I love them so much... Sit back and enjoy.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

People today, men or women alike are very conscious of their figures and body weight. Women and even girls at a very young age are doing their very best to keep a figure like Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, VictoriaBeckham, Gisele Bundchen and so on. Men on the other hand wanted a leaner body weight with the muscles intactwithout the unsightly fats.

So what is the best diet plan when many others of your diet programs failed to get the results you wanted. I have found a great site here which uses liquid diets in their weight loss program specially formulated to give a nutrionally balanced and controlled diet with the right combination of calories, carbohydrates and proteins to replace your meals. Also known as The New Lifestyle Diet Plan....this program not only helps you to burn calories, but also helps you maintain the ideal weight for the rest of your life through comprehensive lessons via e-mail each week . It also provides skills on how to overcome past behaviours and developing new ones for a long-term success in weight management.

Watch out for the success stories of people having gone through this program in thissite. You can also shop for more of your nutritional diet food like milkshakes, puddings, cereals, soups and so on here.

So why not try out this program that provides the best liquid diet on the market which is better than the Medifast or Optifast diet for a slim, beautiful and 'to die for' figure for women and a leaner muscles for men.

This coming August 8 will be a historic day for China and people from all over the world will be visiting this densely populated capital in Beijing for thesummer Olympics games. So just scroll down here and enjoy what China has to offer until now........

Gentlemen......please look at the picture and not the English word before stepping in........!

Holy Smoke......! You guys will be charge for molest and sexual abuse over here.

Guys, please avoid this public loo or else you will be a dead meat.........

I have deformed fingers due to RA.....so I am eligible......

Who is the Queen here............? ME...Sweet Jasmine..?

Who is the crazy mother who put her child on the road....HELP!!!

Do you want me to kill myself......? Sorry,....I am not suicidal.

Goodness gracious....can you stop me from dying right here if God has his way..? Please dial 911 if you see Sweet Jasmine absent from the blogging world...OK?

Oh..poor grass.....you too need some rest....... so ladies and gentleman, please behave yourselves and see where you are going.......

Let's count...1, 2, 3........and jump into the cold...cold water.

Oh dear....I had enough of this rubbish....when can they ever learn....

What will the fishes die of...........HIV ?

This post was done strictly in a jest and is not mend to offend anyone or parties concern.